Hey, why are you coming to me? Are you done with him?" Princess Sonia asked after she saw Satoru approaching her when she was sitting under a tree.
"Yes, we are done there for today; maybe tomorrow we will be doing something else because today he's doing the basics. Tomorrow it will be a different thing. And I'm impressed by his improvement!" Satoru said as he reached where the princess was.
"But I'm not impressed by what he did today. What if we get attacked on the way? What are we going to do? Can he do that only and defeat the enemy?"
"No! But wouldn't I be pushing him super hard?" Satoru's brow quirked as he waited for a response.
"Nope, he's fine; he can deal with it."
"Okay, if you say so!" He stood up and went back to Kai, who was still holding his stance, practicing the moves he was shown of striking the air.
The nice breeze was flowing around the place like in a park, with birds singing and other creatures making their simple noises during the day.
"Hey Kai, we are going to be doing another training, or I can say, we should continue on where we left off. So the question is, how are you feeling? Are you okay?
Kai nodded, ready for another training.
"Good, so we are going to be blocking and defending."
"Wow, I can't wait to learn that!" Kai said, his lips stretched with a smile, ready to continue.
"Good. Then will be moving to defense."
Satoru tapped the flat side of his wooden sword. "It's not all about hitting hard. If you can't block, you won't last long, so defending is something that you need to know before you go all out."
Kai nodded, raising his sword. "I'm ready."
"Not yet you're not," Satoru said, stepping closer. "Let's fix your guard first."
He positioned Kai's sword in front of his chest, slightly angled. "Keep it here—not too high, not too low. You're protecting your body, not your face."
Kai adjusted his arms and asked, "Like this, or am I mistaken?"
"Almost. Elbows closer, hands in front. Don't leave gaps; you'll regret it when something slips through."
"You sure sound like you're speaking from experience."
"You'd be surprised how many times I got hit before learning that lesson."
He lifted his sword slowly. "Now, I'll swing lightly. You just meet my blade and push it away; don't hit back yet. Ready?"
Kai nodded, setting his stance, ready for Satoru.
The first strike came. Kai lifted his sword too high, and the blades met with a rough clack.
He stumbled back a step.
"Too much arm," Satoru said. "Let the sword's angle do the work. Try again."
Kai reset his footing. The next strike came faster, clack, but this time, Kai met it cleanly, sliding Satoru's blade aside.
"Good," Satoru said, giving a short nod. "That's called a deflection. You didn't stop the attack; you redirected it. Easier on your arms."
Kai grinned a bit, his heart thudding with mischief as he felt good about being praised by the teacher. "Feels better, too."
"Exactly. Blocking head-on takes strength. Deflecting takes control."
Satoru circled around him. "Now, remember your feet; defense means staying balanced. If you lose footing, you lose everything." Satoru glared at Kai, his eyes narrowed as if he were an enemy. Kai took his position and got ready for defending.
He swung again, a little harder. Kai managed to block, but his back foot slipped on the grass. Kai gasped, his heart skipped as he saw himself moving backwards.
"See?" Satoru said, lowering his sword. "Good block, but weak stance. Keep your feet steady before you lift your sword."
Kai sighed. "You make it sound simple, Master, but I was doing my best in my stance; just the grass took my foot away."
"It will be simple once you've done it for some time, because it takes time to make it simple. That's why it's training, making the hard thing simple," Satoru said, smiling. "Every block teaches your hands what to do next time."
They practiced again and again.
The sound of wood meeting wood echoed across the field.
Each time, Kai's guard grew steadier. He no longer flinched when Satoru's blade came down.
After an hour, Satoru stepped back and rested his sword on his shoulder. "That's enough for now. Your arms will hate me next time." Satoru said, his gentle eyes closed, his face filled with an impressed grin.
Kai wiped sweat from his face, breathing hard but smiling. "They already do."
"Hahaha. Good. That means you're learning."
"Remember this, Kai, blocking isn't just about defense. It's about staying calm when someone's trying to break you. The moment you panic, the fight's already lost."
Kai looked at his sword, then back at Satoru. "Got it. Stay calm, hold steady."
Satoru gave a satisfied grin. "Exactly. Now go rest those arms before they fall off."
They both laughed, going to the princess, who was sitting down, meditating.
"Hey princess!" Kai called out, a smile shining on his face.
The princess opened her eyes and gulped a bit as she got a bit surprised. "Ohh, you are done?" She asked, her eyes glaring at the two who were approaching her.
"We are done for today; we will try other things next time." Satoru said, his mouth grinning, his white teeth shining in the world light.
"That's good to hear. I was getting sleepy since you guys were enjoying yourselves, forgetting about me," the princess said. She continued saying, "Hey Satoe, we will see you tomorrow or next time because we don't know what the future holds!"
"Sure, I'll be waiting for you by then."
The princess stood up and led the way out.
"Goodbye, Master Satoe!" Kai said, flashing his smile.
"See ya!"
The princess led the way, with Kai behind. They found their way back home as they enjoyed their chats about the training. The sun was already about to take off, letting the darkness roll over.
They reached the castle! They bathed, had dinner, and parted ways with the princess, Kai heading to his room while the princess saw her way too.
The tired Kai crashed, and the haunting nightmare started!